COLUMBIA, Mo. – The National Rifle Association proudly announces MidwayUSA as title sponsor of its 2016 National Action Pistol Championship for the eighth consecutive year. Known commonly as the NRA Bianchi Cup presented by MidwayUSA for its world famous silver trophy, this major action pistol match will be held May 24-28, 2016 in Columbia, Missouri.

“We are proud to join our sponsors in continuing the legacy of the Bianchi Cup, the most prestigious pistol tournament in the world,” said Executive Director of NRA General Operations Kyle Weaver. “We thank MidwayUSA for their outstanding support over the past eight years, and extend a sincere thanks to all our sponsors for helping us bring together the world’s best pistol competitors.”

Founded in 1979 by former police officer and holster maker John Bianchi, the 192-shot NRA Bianchi Cup presented by MidwayUSA attracts the world’s best pistol shooters. This year’s competition features a change in format, as there will be no multi-gun aggregate match.

Additionally, the top 36 competitors from the first 1920 Match X will advance to the Colt Championship Final, where they will fire an additional 1920 through the same four NRA Bianchi Cup events. The aggregate of both 1920s will dictate the 2016 NRA Bianchi Cup Champions.

Competition categories are determined by age, gender, and the number of modifications a shooter makes to their pistol to increase speed and accuracy.

“The Bianchi Cup has come a long way since its inception back in 1979, and it’s still as exciting as ever. Brenda and I look forward to watching some of the best competitive shooters in the world practice both discipline and marksmanship,” said Larry Potterfield, Founder and CEO of MidwayUSA. “MidwayUSA is pleased to return as the presenting sponsor of the 2016 Bianchi Cup and we welcome first time and returning shooters to our home town of Columbia, Missouri.”

Sign up to compete at http://www.bianchicup.nra.org/bianchiregistration. For more information on the 2016 NRA Bianchi Cup presented by MidwayUSA, visit http://www.bianchicup.nra.org, or contact Damien Orsinger at (703) 267-1478 or email bianchicup@nrahq.org.

About the National Rifle Association Established in 1871, the National Rifle Association is America’s oldest civil rights and sportsmen’s group. Five million members strong, NRA continues its mission to uphold Second Amendment rights and is the leader in firearm education and training for law-abiding gun owners, law enforcement and the military. Visit http://nra.org.

About MidwayUSABoth country kids from Missouri, Larry and Brenda Potterfield turned their passion for shooting sports into a career by opening a small gun shop in 1977 that would eventually become MidwayUSA (www.midwayusa.com). They instilled family values like honesty, integrity and respect for others into the business, and strive to maintain this culture with each employee added to their growing team. For over 38 years, MidwayUSA has offered JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING® for Shooting, Reloading, Gunsmithing and Hunting with an unyielding focus on Customer Satisfaction.For more information on MidwayUSA, visit their website (www.midwayusa.com), find them on Facebook (www.facebook.com/OfficialMidwayUSA), or follow them on Twitter (http://twitter.com/midwayusa).